MOFILM CES 2016 Panel: Creating a Leading Brand Content Strategy in a Multi-Platform World

Don’t be “everything to everyone”. Be intentional when creating a content strategy: know your audience and create and format content specifically for their interests and the targeted distribution platform(s)

Be open to developments in video/interactivity (e.g., live stream, VR, AR, 360 degree video) and assess if these advancements/new platforms will appeal to your audience, offering a deeper level of engagement and better meeting brand goals

During CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2016, MOFILM brought together a range of industry experts to explore how brands can execute leading content strategies in a multi-platform world. Led by Larke White, MOFILM’s Head of Partnerships, the discussion covered the importance of genuine brand experiences, the role of data and how to best use influencers and social platforms as part of the distribution mix.

When it comes to creating the authentic and genuine brand experiences that today’s audiences crave, it is essential that content is relevant to the audience and to the brand’s own objectives. Eunice Shin, Head of Strategy, Manatt Digital Media, emphasised that while Generations X, Y and Z are all happy to view branded content, it has to be entertaining and meaningful to them. It’s key that brands carefully target their audiences to help build engagement and brand loyalty according to their own strategic goals.

Creator Meghan Camarena, aka Strawburry17, advised that brands should ignore the temptation to post all content to all platforms. Echoing that they need to consider their goals and focus distribution plans on the platforms where their audience is spending time: “If your audience is on Instagram, you need to be on Instagram”. Brands need to be intentional or they run the risk of looking like they don’t care, which undermines their ability to create genuine interaction and engagement.

As we move into 2016, companies are exploring different metrics (i.e., sentiment analysis via comments and emojis) that can help inform how they develop and distribute their content; building on data to help make high quality, engaging content.

Allison Stern, Co-Founder & VP Marketing, TubularLabs, discussed the importance of knowing the context of your data within the wider industry as well as across different platforms, so that success can be judged accurately. For example, TubularLab’s insights into the top 1,000 videos reveals that the average engagement rate is 0.6% for YouTube compared to 0.2% on Facebook, information that could help shape a robust distribution plan.

theAmplify’s CEO & Founder, Justin Rezvani, believes that conversations are the most powerful metric in social media. He shared that 40% of characters used on social media are emojis, rising to 80% when looking at the conversations of under 17 year olds. He believes that the number of conversations fuelled by content is an important metric that brands should be using to inform their content strategy. An increasingly large part of that is to understand the relationship between words and emjois.

Eunice recommended that once a brand has established its objective and message; they then utilize the storytelling power of content creators. Having joined YouTube in 2007, Meghan said that brand collaborations work best when it is a team effort and if multiple layers of support and marketing can be built into the distribution plan; such as engaging with the creator on Twitter around the publication of a video.

Conversations can also be used by brands to help identify which creators they should work with, as many already talk about brands in their work. Allison also recommended seeking out rising stars with rapidly growing audiences, rather than already established stars.

The possibilities for engaging content are only going to expand in 2016 as the platforms continue to extend their offerings. Justin predicted that Snapchat will include search and tagging functionality and that Instagram will follow Facebook and YouTube to offer 360 video viewing. Everyone expressed excitement about the growth of augmented and virtual reality and how brands can build engagement further with innovative storytelling that supports their objectives. As well as seeing how creators will continue to evolve how they use apps and platforms to create, and how brands can evolve along with them.